The Other Side of the Coin
by wolf with panther eyes
Summary: Merlin wishes that Arthur knew what his life was like. Arthur wishes that Merlin knew what his life was like. What if their wish came true? What if they woke up one day to find that their lives had switched overnight, and Arthur was now Merlin's servant?
1. Making an Innocent Wish

Merlin entered Gaius's chambers, slamming the door behind him.

Gaius twirled around, catching sight of his young ward. "Merlin! Don't tell me Arthur put you in the stocks _again_."

Merlin stormed over to the basin, pouring cold water into it. He splashed his face, gasping at the sudden chill. His clothes, hair and skin were covered in squished fruits and vegetables. "Yeah, he did."

"Well, what did you do this time?"

"Nothing!" Merlin said angrily, rubbing off what appeared to be half a tomato. "At least, nothing important. All I did was drop some stew on him."

Gaius raised one eyebrow. "Nothing important?"

"It was an accident!" Merlin protested. "Arthur left his boots lying across the door, and I tripped over them."

Gaius sighed, going back to his reading. "So he put you in the stocks?"

"Oh, you think?" Merlin replied sarcastically. He continued to scrub at the food stuck to him. "And then I have to get the sauce stains out of his clothes and room..."

"Serves you right," Gaius chuckled.

"While Arthur just sits around the castle, doing nothing!" Merlin concluded. "Why can't he lift a finger for once?"

"Ah, now Merlin." Gaius lowered his book. "I believe I've explained it to you before."

"I know, Gaius, I know." Merlin rested his hands on either side of the basin, his eyes taking on a far-off expression. "I've stood beside him, I've seen what he goes through. But he can be so..." He sighed, continuing to wash himself. "I just wish he knew what I had to go through, that's all. Not just with my duties as a servant, but me having to constantly save him with magic."

"Well, be careful what you wish for, Merlin," Gaius advised, holding up his book again. "It might come true."

Merlin grinned. "I doubt it."

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Arthur ran his hand through his hair, trying to remove the leftover stew stuck in it. "Oh, I am going to fire that idiot one of these days," he muttered. But he knew he probably wouldn't. Merlin may be a useless servant, but he'd acheived something that no servant had achieved before - Arthur's friendship and loyalty. Merlin was more than a servant now, he was a friend.

That didn't stop Arthur putting him in the stocks, though.

Arthur finally teased out a small piece of meat. Without looking, he threw it out of his window. Okay, so maybe he shouldn't have left his boots lying across the doorway, but it was still Merlin's fault for tripping over them.

_It's not like he does much, anyway, _Arthur thought to himself. _All he has to do is clean up after me. He can't complain; some servants have worse jobs than that. _

Arthur sighed, leaning against the window sill. He glanced up at the sky, noticing a few stars had appeared since he'd last looked. Arthur liked the stars, although he would never admit it. When he had trouble sleeping (usually when he became stressed about battles the next day) he would climb out of bed and stand at the window, gazing at them. The feeling that the world rested on his shoulders lifted slightly.

Merlin would never have to experiance that. Having to constantly prove, over and over again, that he was worthy of the title of Future King. Arthur had been training for it since birth, and he still worried over it - worried that he wasn't strong enough, brave enough, wise enough, or good enough.

"I wish Merlin could know what that's like, even for just one day," Arthur murmured, then started at the sound of his voice. Had he said that outloud? He glanced down at the courtyard: a few people were packing up their stalls, but none of them glanced in his direction.

Arthur sighed, relaxing. It was stupid to make wishes, anyhow. Arthur was too old for them.

Because wishes hardly ever came true.


	2. Everything's Different Now

A loud rap at the door woke Arthur up from his sleep.

"Go away," the young man grumbled, covering his ears.

"Come on, Arthur," Gaius's voice said impatiently. "You know Merlin hates it when you're late."

Arthur froze, trying to absorb what Gaius just said. Why was Gaius even outside his room, anyway? He sat up, confused. "What do you mean, _Merlin_ hates it when _I'm_ late?"

"Well, you are his manservant," Gaius replied. "Get up!"

Arthur was well and truely puzzled now. He rubbed his head, glancing around his room. Or... Merlin's room.

"Okay, very funny!" Arthur shouted, getting out of his bed - Merlin's bed, he realised. Of course, his own sheets weren't as irritating. "Merlin's put you up to this, hasn't he?"

No reply came, so Arthur began to walk towards the door. Merlin's room was as messy as ever, with clothes, books and armour strewn across the floor, and Arthur had to walk through carefully in order not to tread on anything.

He flung open the door, stamping downstairs.

"Ah, you're finally up," Gaius grinned at him. "You forgot to get dressed, though."

Arthur glanced down at himself; he was dressed in a long nightshirt and baggy trousers.

"Okay, come on," Arthur scowled, impatience rising in him. "Merlin's put you up to this, hasn't he?"

"Merlin?" Gaius echoed, looking confused. "He hasn't asked me to do anything."

"Don't give me that." Arthur pushed past him and opened the door. "I bet that he's in my room, while I was in his."

"But... but, Arthur, you were just in your room."

Arthur groaned. "Oh, forget it." He strode out the door, slamming it behind him.

_Merlin's earned himself another day in the stocks for this stupid prank,_ Arthur thought to himself as he walked to his room. _honestly, of all the things he could have done..._

Arthur stopped, then took a few steps back. A window was set in the wall of the corridor, and Arthur could just about make out his reflection. He stared in shock.

The muscles he'd gained from endless battles and training were gone, leaving him with a scrawnier figure. His hair looked identical to Merlin's, except that it was still blond, and his eyes had become darker. Arthur glanced down at his hands - they were skinnier than he remembered, and with slightly paler skin.

"_MERLINNN!!!"_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A few shafts of sunlight fell across Merlin's face, making him blink twice before rolling over. He felt warm and comfortable, lying here, and his sheets felt softer than they ever had. He snuggled down, absentmindedly pushing back a few strands of hair from his eyes.

Hang on...

Merlin stared at his hand, frowning. Maybe it was the sunlight, but his hand looked darker, and more muscular. He flexed his knuckles, watching as they responded.

"Hmmm..." He slowly sat up, staring down at himself. He was wearing a nightshirt, but Merlin couldn't help noticing that his chest also seemed more muscular than usual.

Suddenly his door flew open, and Arthur ran in. "Merlin!" he yelped, skidding to a halt. "What did you do?"

Merlin stared at Arthur for a second, then burst out laughing. "Sorry!" he apologised quickly, still giggling. "You just look..."

"Well, have you seen yourself?" Arthur retorted, putting his hands on his hips.

Merlin stopped laughing. "What do you mean?"

Arthur sat down on the end of the bed. "See for yourself," he gestured towards a mirror that stood in the corner.

Merlin glanced around the room, noticing for the first time that he was in Arthur's room/ Slowly, he got out of bed and stood in front of the mirror. His jaw dropped.

Merlin's black hair was longer than before, shaped around his face like Arthur's usually did. His eyes were lighter blue, and he realised that he really did now have a more muscular form. He twisted from one side to the other, his eyes wide.

"So now you understand," Arthur muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. The anger he'd first had was gone, and now he seemed more curious. "You honestly didn't do this?"

Merlin slumped down on the bed beside Arthur. He rested his head on his hands."I... I don't understand..."

"Maybe Gaius _was_ telling the truth, then," Arthur wondered. "Saying that I was your servant..." His eyes widened suddenly. "Merlin!"

Merlin was staring at him, open-mouthed.

"Am I meant to be...?" Both of them said at the same time.

Merlin jumped to his feet, staring at his reflection again. "So, I'm the Prince?"

"Oh, I hope not," Arthur groaned. "That would mean that I'm a servant."

Merlin ruffled his hair. Instead of looking weird like usual, it fell into a handsome style. "Ummm... Arthur?" he said hesitantly, turning to his friend. "Yesterday, I was annoyed about you putting me in the stocks, and I kinda wished that you could understand me a bit more..."

Arthur stood up next to Merlin, and they gazed at their altered selves in the mirror. "Well," Arthur admitted, averting his eyes. "I did the same."

Merlin glanced at him, surprised.

Arthur moved over to his window, remembering how he'd stood here last night. Dawn had broken now, and the same people who had cleared away their stalls last night were setting them up. "But how do we know for sure? You know, if our lives have been switched."

Merlin frowned, thinking hard. Finally, he walked over to the door. Of all the people who could have been walking past, it was Gwen, carrying Morgana's breakfast tray.

"Gwen!" Merlin called to her.

She turned, a look of shock on her face. "Sire?" she said nervously.

That 'Sire' told Merlin most of what he needed to know. Just to make sure... "Gwen, who am I?"

"Why, you are Prince Merlin of Camelot," Gwen replied cautiously.

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "And... my manservant is...?"

Gwen blushed slightly, averting her eyes. Merlin was used to that look; she did it almost everytime he said her name. "Arthur."

"Thanks, Gwen." Merlin closed the door, turning back to Arthur. "Well, that clears things up," he said quietly.

Arthur nodded, running his hand through his hair. Merlin noted with some brief satsifaction that made his hair look messy rather than stylish. "Now what?"

"Errr...." Merlin realised that they were both still in their nightwear. "We get dressed?"

Arthur glanced down at himself, touching the fabric of his shirt. "What, in each other's clothes?"

"Technically we were never ourselves," Merlin corrected him. "It's like it's always been this way."

"But it hasn't!" Arthur argued.

"I know," Merlin sighed. "But maybe we should just go along with it for now."


	3. What To Do?

Arthur opened the closet gingerly, then stared at the clothes there. "Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me."

Inside the cupboard was a messy heap of clothes. Arthur could make out some dark trousers, a blue shirt and a brown jacket: draped over the top of it all lay a red neckerchief.

Grimacing, Arthur pulled all the clothes out and threw them onto Merlin's - Arthur's - bed. _I cannot believe I have to wear this,_ he thought to himself as he took off his nightshirt. He glanced at his reflection in the small window before reaching out and pulling on the blue shirt.

About ten minutes later Arthur was fully dressed. He walked towards the door, opened it, and then hesitated. He felt like something was missing. He glanced back at the bed.

Without thinking, Arthur walked back to the bed. He picked up the red neckerchief and tied it expertly around his neck, grinning as the material rested comfortably against his skin. Feeling ready to face the day, he made his way to his - Merlin's - room.

He opened the door without knocking, like Merlin usually would. Merlin spun around. He took one look at Arthur and grinned, visibly relaxing.

"I always told you that outfit was comfortable," Merlin said by way of greeting, leaning against the windowpane with his arms folded. He was dressed in what looked like one of Arthur's outfits - red shirt, brown jerkin, dark trousers and tan boots. On closer inspection, Arthur noticed that Merlin was even wearing a leather string around his neck.

"So, what are we meant to be doing today?" Arthur asked, glancing at himself in the mirror. He paused, his eyes widening in horror.

"What's wrong?" Merlin inquired, noticing the look on Arthur's face.

"I look like a cross between me and you!" Arthur exclaimed. He pulled the neckerchief off and threw it across the floor. "This is just too weird."

Merlin bent down and scooped it up, dusting it gently. "I'm sure it won't last long, Arthur." He stood up straighter. "Now, back to business. I was looking for something I could get you to do, and I found this." Merlin gestured to a bundle in a corner of the room.

Arthur wrinkled his nose. "So?"

A slow grin spread across Merlin's face. "Those clothes have stew stains all over them."

"Oh, that is just _unfair_!" Arthur fumed, his dark eyes narrowing. "It was you who dropped that stew over me!"

"Apparently not," Merlin teased. "So, I'd like you to go and wash them until the stains are gone."

"But..." Merlin glared at him; Arthur sighed in defeat. "Fine, _sire_." He went and gathered the bundle of clothes in his arms, wincing slightly.

"Umm, Arthur?" Merlin said hesitantly. "You do know how to wash them, right?"

Arthur turned to his ex-servant, frowning as he realised that he had never really cleaned anything before in his life. He'd seen one or two servants cleaning clothes though, so - "Of course I do, Merlin."

Merlin nodded. "Just checking."

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"Okay, now to do this," Arthur muttered, glaring at the bundle of clothes before him.

He was in the castle's washroom; a place that Arthur had never actually entered before, but he knew the servants did most of their washing here.

"Hi, Arthur," a voice said beside him, and Arthur turned to see Morgana's maidservant beside him.

"Hello, Guinevere," Arthur replied courteously before turning his attention back to the washing.

"Is this your first time here?" Gwen asked, then blushed slightly. "It's just - I've never seen you here. But I guess you do come here, otherwise Merlin wouldn't have many clean clothes. And neither would you, I guess - I mean, Merlin puts you in the stocks such a lot."

Arthur stared at her. Was she always this talkative? When he'd been the prince, Gwen had always been rather quiet.

Then it hit him. Arthur had suspected for a while now that Gwen was in love with Merlin, but now that Arthur had taken on Merlin's life, Gwen must have transferred her attention to him. _Just great,_ Arthur thought sarcastically.

"Do you need help with anything?" Gwen asked him, smiling. "If you want, I could..."

Maybe Arthur could use this to his advantage. He grinned inwardly.

"Actually, Gwen, I do need some help with this," he admitted. "See, Merl... _I_ spilt some stew on Merlin's clothes last night, and I have no idea how to get the stains out."

"Oh, that was why you were in the stocks yesterday," Gwen smiled. "Well, to get out stains..."

"Maybe you should show me how to do it," Arthur interrupted, holding up his - Merlin's - shirt. "That might help me understand it better."

_Huh, it seems having Gwen fancy me is a good thing_, Arthur thought to himself as he watched Gwen clean the stained shirt. He was a little ashamed of himself for using her like this, but his dislike of chores won over.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Watching Arthur's retreating back, Merlin wondered how he was going to spend his day. He was so used to being at the beck and call of both Arthur and Gaius that doing nothing was boring.

Merlin sighed, staring out the window. What was he meant to do?

Battle training? No, that wasn't on today. Besides, Merlin was hopeless with a sword.

Hunting? Merlin was useless at that, too.

Merlin sighed, resting his forehead against the cool glass, his breath forming a small patch of condensation.

Well, what was he good at? The answer came to Merlin almost immediately.

Magic.

Merlin pulled back from the window, suddenly worried. Yesterday, what had he said?

_"I just wish he knew what I had to go through, that's all. Not just with my duties as a servant, but me having to constantly save him with magic."_

Merlin groaned. "Oh, no..." He glanced around the room, noticing a book lying on Arthur's bedside table.

Merlin raised his hand towards the book and closed his eyes. _Come on... come to me_, he thought, biting his bottom lip in concentration. Usually when he did this, his skin would tingle, his eyes would burn with warmth and whatever he was beckoning would fly straight into his hands.

This time, Merlin felt nothing. He opened his eyes to find that the book hadn't moved at all.

Great. So Merlin had lost his magic, and Arthur had probably gained it.

_I just hope he can control it, _Merlin thought anxiously, remembering how he used to perform spells instinctively before Gaius had given him his magic book.

And if Arthur accidentally cast a spell, he would be immediately designated for execution.


	4. Diaries, Kings & Stocks

Sorry it took so long to update this! I kinda forgot about it, to tell you the truth...

Anyway, hopefully this chapter will get my writing skills flowing - please enjoy, and R&R!

* * *

There was a loud thump at the door, like someone had kicked it.

"Come in," Merlin called over his shoulder.

"I can't!" Arthur's voice replied, sounding muffled through the thick wood. "My arms are full with _your_ clothes."

Merlin stood up and strode across the room, grinning to himself. "What's the magic word?"

There was a sharp intake of breath from the other side of the door.

"I meant 'please'," Merlin corrected himself hurriedly as he swung open the door. "It's just a saying my mother used."

Arthur entered the room and dumped the clothes he was carrying on his - Merlin's - unmade bed. "There."

"Done already?" Merlin asked, holding up a pair of trousers and inspecting them. "That was quick."

"Well…" Arthur absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes, it was, wasn't it?"

Merlin frowned. "You got help, didn't you?"

Arthur winced slightly. "No."

"Looks like you have trouble lying now," Merlin replied, inwardly grinning.

Arthur turned on him, saying fiercely "I don't have trouble lying, it's you that has…" His voice slowly died away.

There was a brief pause while the two stared at each other.

"So you did get help," Merlin broke the silence. He shrugged. "I knew you couldn't do it yourself."

"Well, what have you been doing?" Arthur responded, glancing around the room.

Merlin picked up the book from Arthur's bedside table. "I've been reading your diary."

Arthur stared at him. "I don't _have _a diary, Merlin."

"Really?" Merlin flicked through the pages. "It sure looks like one." He began to read. "Dear diary…"

"Morgana was in here yesterday," Arthur said quickly. "Maybe it's hers."

Merlin's eyes flickered, but he kept reading. "Dear diary, today I apprehended Morgana's maidservant. Uther sentenced her to be burnt, but then my idiot manservant Merlin started claiming that he was a sorcerer to try and save her…"

Arthur snatched the book from Merlin. "I didn't write it like that!" the ex-prince snapped, glancing at the page Merlin had been reading from. "Wait… this is just taxes!"

Merlin grinned. "But now I know you have a diary," he said happily. "Oh, that'll keep me occupied for _ages _trying to find it."

Arthur glowered at his ex-servant, just as there was a sharp rap at the door and a knight burst in.

"Milord," the knight said breathlessly. "The King wishes to see you immediately."

"Right," Arthur said briskly. "Tell him I'll…"

Merlin nudged Arthur sharply in the ribs. "I'm the prince now, remember?" Merlin muttered just loud enough for Arthur to hear. He turned towards the knight. "I'll be there soon."

The knight nodded and left.

"Wonder what that's about," Merlin shrugged while Arthur massaged his side.

"God, I'm so skinny now."

Merlin rolled his eyes, grabbing Arthur's arm. "Come on."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Merlin hesitated outside the door. "Now, how do I enter?" he asked Arthur.

The ex-prince sighed. "Just barge in like you own the place - which you will."

"Seems easy enough." Merlin squared his shoulders and pushed the door sharply, entering the room with Arthur just behind him.

Uther, Gaius and several of the Camelot knights sat surrounding the main table. The king glanced up as the two young men entered.

"Ah, Merlin," Uther greeted his 'son'. "And, err… Archie, isn't it?"

"Arthur!" Arthur snapped before Merlin had a chance to stop him. Uther glared at his ex-son in disbelief.

"You would do well to hold your tongue," Uther said sharply, and Merlin felt a pang of sympathy towards Arthur.

"Now, Merlin," Uther indicated a large piece of parchment that was spread out on the table. "We've had attacks from here, here, here and here along the boundary line." He gestured to where several Xs had been marked on what appeared to be a map. "You've fought in all of these battles; where do you believe they will strike next?"

Merlin glanced desperately at Arthur. "They?"

"King Bercia's army!" Uther exclaimed, obviously annoyed. "Try and keep up!"

Merlin shifted from foot to foot, continuing to glance from the map to Arthur. Finally, he half-closed his eyes and pointed at a spot on the map. "There?"

"Merlin, I highly doubt that they will choose to attack us in the middle of the forest," Uther responded, glowering. "What's wrong with you?"

"Sire." To Merlin's relief, Gaius spoke up. "My ward, Merlin's manservant, accidentally dropped a bowl of stew on the prince's head last night… perhaps he is suffering from a mild concussion?"

Uther swivelled his head to glare at Arthur. "Is this true?"

Arthur opened his mouth to argue, then closed it and sulkily nodded.

"Then you have earned yourself a place in the stocks," Uther concluded, waving a lazy hand. "Sir Cors?"

One of the knights stood up, walked towards Arthur and grabbed his arms.

"Sire," Merlin said quickly. "Arthur already spent yesterday in the stocks."

Uther smiled slightly. "Another day won't hurt though, I presume?"

Merlin thought of all the times he had been put in the stocks (he was almost certain that he'd been in it more times than anyone else). And then he grinned.

"I suppose you're right… father," he agreed. Behind him, Sir Cors led Arthur away; Arthur's eyes wide with disbelief.

"Oh, and check Merlin over, Gaius," Uther added. "We don't want him to be flustered when the enemy attacks us."

Merlin's grin abruptly disappeared. Would that mean he'd have to fight? Merlin knew fully well that he couldn't fight without using his magic - without it, he'd be dead within five minutes!

He'd just have to hope that Arthur would become the prince again before any fighting had to be done… after Arthur had had a taster of life in the stocks, of course.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Splat._

_Squelch. _

Arthur screwed his eyes shut as various fruit and veg flew through the air attempting to hit their target. Something smashed into his nose, and the strong scent of squished tomato wafted into his nostrils.

"Having fun?" Merlin's voice said beside him.

Arthur's eyes opened wide to see his ex-servant grinning down at him.

"Merlin," Arthur growled. "I am so going to…" His words were cut off as an orange smashed into his left hand.

Merlin repeatedly tossed and caught a tomato, still grinning. "Y'know, I never could see how these things were fun until now."

Arthur mumbled something under his breath.

Merlin bent down. "Sorry? Didn't quite catch that."

Arthur glowered at him. "When we get our lives back, Merlin, I am so going to kill you."

Merlin shrugged. "Good to know." And then he did what he'd been wanting to do ever since he met Arthur - squishing the tomato against Arthur's hair and rubbing it in until Arthur's blond hair was stanned red.


End file.
